The Ruvuma Project, a five-year initiative funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and approved by the GEF Council in January 2024, addresses the lack of cross-sectoral, multi-state collaboration in transboundary water resource management. Focused on the Ruvuma River Basin, which spans Malawi, Tanzania, and Mozambique, the project acknowledges the global importance of the region’s terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity.
The main goal of the project is to promote multi-sector transboundary cooperation through a source-to-sea management approach, integrating ecosystem health and social inclusion into planning and management strategies for the basin.
There are five key components to the project:
• Institutional framework strengthening;
• Science-based decision-making;
• Strategic investment planning;
• Sustainable land and water management;
• Knowledge management.
The project is led by the Global Water Partnership (GWP), alongside local partners and facilitated by the IUCN as the GEF Agency.
Under the Project, WE&B successfully developed/delivered the following services:
• Coordinate with relevant stakeholders, including the Project Development Team (PDT).
• Review relevant literature and documents.
• Lead project design, including: Define situational context (environmental issues, threats, and barriers); Identify project activities and site selection criteria; Document baseline and incremental costs; Develop the Results Framework and integrate safeguards and gender inputs; Support budget development and co-financing letters process.
• Lead drafting of the IUCN GEF Project Document and related documents (GEF Request for CEO Endorsement, GEF core indicators, co-financing letters).
• Organize workshops for input in project document development and closure.
• Ensure stakeholder consultations (virtual and in-person) with local, national, and international stakeholders, in line with IUCN, GEF, and government guidelines.
• Coordinate national consultants and guide their work.
• Design Stakeholder Analysis and Stakeholder Engagement Plan with local consultants and PDT.
• Support interaction with relevant government departments and other stakeholders.
• Draft and finalize gender assessment and gender action plan, as well as environmental and social safeguards documentation.
• Ensure compliance with IUCN, GEF, and government policies and best practices for project development, including social and environmental safeguards, financial management, gender inclusion, and monitoring.
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